Vitantonio Liuzzi may soon be officially out of a ride for 2012. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Liuzzi Unlikely To Keep HRT Seat - Eeckelaert: Jerome d'Ambrosio, Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna are all in the running to complete HRT's driver lineup in 2012, according to the Belgian newspaper La Libre. According to the struggling Spanish team's technical boss Jacky Eeckelaert, ousted Virgin/Marussia driver d'Ambrosio is toward the top of the list. "I don't think it's in the interests of the team to have a second Spanish driver," he said, effectively ruling out Jaime Alguersuari or Dani Clos to be Pedro de la Rosa's teammate. "The same goes for the drivers approaching retirement," added Eeckelaert, thereby also scratching Rubens Barrichello from the shortlist. With an existing contract for 2012 is Vitantonio Liuzzi, but Eeckelaert also spoke against the Italian. "He hasn't really confirmed himself after several chances. We are looking more for a young driver with a lot of potential," he added.

Valencia Rejected Alternating Race Idea - Barcelona: Valencia reportedly turned down an opportunity to safeguard Spain's presence on the F1 calendar by alternating an annual date with Barcelona. Bernie Ecclestone confirmed last year that Spain's two races could in the future share a single annual date. But this week, it emerged that — amid the European economic crisis — both Valencia's street circuit and the permanent Circuit de Catalunya could lose the support of their respected authorities and fall off the F1 calendar altogether. On Tuesday, Catalonia government Francesco Homs was quoted by Marca sports newspaper as recalling that the idea of alternating a single race with Valencia was raised last April. He said the proposal was rejected by Valencia. Homs did, however, assure journalists that this year's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, scheduled for mid April, is safe.

Vettel Defends Constant Helmet Color Changes: Sebastian Vettel has defended his habit of regularly changing his F1 helmet livery. The back-to-back World Champion uses several designs in a single season, which according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport is a "bit disappointing" in the eyes of some spectators. "Is it (your livery) not your business card, something special?" the magazine asked Vettel in an exclusive interview. Vettel answered: "Some things on my helmet always stay the same. But somehow it just happened that my helmet designer and I experiment and have fun with it. Together, we usually have pretty good ideas. I do find some helmets incredibly beautiful," the 24-year-old German conceded. "Like (Ayrton) Senna's. Or the bars on Damon Hill's black helmet. Or the Scottish cross on David Coulthard's. Very simple but unmistakable." He may be setting a new trend in one way, but on the other hand he has so far resisted joining the new age of Facebook and Twitter. "For me, this is not real communication. It's not my thing," Vettel insisted. "I find it a very indirect and impersonal way to communicate with other people."

Lotus To Run Radical Braking System In 2012: Lotus could set the trend with the first major innovation of the 2012 season. Finland's Turun Sanomat reports that Giorgio Piolo — arguably F1's most respected technical illustrator — has revealed that Lotus' new car features a radical braking system. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the system is similar to the mass damper innovation pioneered by the Enstone-based team (then Renault) some years ago. The innovation was reportedly discovered during the young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi. Turun Sanomat explained that the driver-operated system involves adjustments to improve aerodynamic performance through the ride-height. Lotus' drivers in 2011 are Kimi Raikkonen, the returning 2007 World Champion, and reigning GP2 champion Romain Grosjean.